Feminine shirt having front insert for providing lateral breast support

ABSTRACT

A shirt for providing lateral breast support is provided. The shirt includes a front end having an upper portion, the upper portion being oriented to cover a user&#39;s chest area when said shirt is worn by the user. The shirt also includes an inner layer that is attached to the upper portion of the front end and creates a pocket of space between the inner layer and the upper portion of the shirt. The shirt also includes a support member located in the pocket of space between the inner layer and the upper portion. The support member has a left side and a right side which are each sized and shaped to receive an inner face of a user&#39;s breast. The support member can be affixed to the shirt or removable via an aperture in the pocket.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 62/075,796, filed on Nov. 5, 2014, all of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to feminine apparel, and more particularly to a shirt having a front insert for providing lateral support for one's breasts.

BACKGROUND

Women with large breasts or breast implants are prone to developing skin wrinkles around their décolletage (i.e., neckline and cleavage area). These wrinkles occur typically with such women who tend to sleep on their side. When sleeping on one's side, the breast which is furthest away from the sleeping surface falls across the body of the sleeper and creates a crease on the skin between the fallen breast and the sternum of the sleeper. These creases generate wrinkles in the skin as collagen around the creased area breaks down. Such wrinkles are considered unsightly and encourage women with such wrinkles to wear clothing that conceals their décolletage.

Various products on the market address this issue by providing a pillow that is configured to be located between the breasts such that the pillow pushes the breasts away from each other to prevent such creases from forming. However, these pillows are conspicuous and aesthetically unattractive when worn. To date, no market solutions exist that provide lateral support for one's breasts while being configured to remain unseen by onlookers.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, a shirt for providing lateral breast support is provided. The shirt includes a front end and a rear end, with the front end having an upper portion and a lower portion, the upper portion being oriented to cover a user's chest area when said shirt is worn by the user. The shirt also includes an inner layer that is attached to the upper portion of the front end, the inner layer having a top end, a bottom end, and a middle area extending from the top end and the bottom end. The top end of the inner layer is attached to an upper part of the upper portion of the shirt, and the bottom end of the inner layer is attached to a lower part of the upper portion. The middle area of the inner layer is detached from the upper portion of the shirt, thereby creating a pocket of space between the inner layer and the upper portion of the shirt. The inner layer is sized and shaped to cover the breast area of the user when said shirt is worn.

The shirt also includes a support member located in the pocket of space between the inner layer and the upper portion. The support member has a left side and a right side which are each sized and shaped to receive an inner face of a user's breast. The support member can be affixed to the shirt or removable via an aperture in the pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following detailed description of two exemplary embodiments considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a shirt constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, with a silhouette of a support member shown on the front portion in broken lines;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the shirt shown in FIG. 1 with a cut-away of the front portion showing the support member;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the shirt shown in FIG. 1 with a cut-away of the front and side portion showing the support member;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the shirt shown in FIG. 1 taken along the line A and looking in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a rear elevational view of the shirt shown in FIG. 1 with a cutaway of the back portion showing the inner layer of the shirt; and

FIG. 6 is a stand-alone perspective view of the support member shown in FIGS. 2-4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally relates to a feminine shirt having a front insert that is configured to laterally support one's breasts while lying on one side, such as while sleeping. The shirt includes a support member that is located in the front center portion of the shirt's upper half where the shirt typically cover's the user's breasts, and the support member is sized and shaped to be placed in between the user's breasts when the user wears the shirt. When a user wears the shirt and lies to one side, the breast furthest from the ground lays on top of the support member, thereby preventing one or more wrinkles from forming in the user's cleavage area.

Referring now to the accompanying figures, a shirt 10 constructed in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is disclosed. The shirt 10 has a front end 12 and a back end 14, with the front end having an upper portion 16 that covers the user's breast area when the shirt 10 is worn. Included with the upper portion 16 of the shirt is an inner layer 18 of fabric that is attached to the upper portion of the shirt 10 at the inner layer's top end 20 and its bottom end 22, while leaving the middle portion 24 of the inner layer 18 adjacent to but unattached to the upper portion 16 of the shirt 10. This arrangement of the inner layer 18 against the upper portion 16 of the shirt creates a pocket of space between the middle portion 24 of the inner layer 18 and the upper portion 16 of the shirt 10.

The shirt 10 also includes a support member 26 that is contained in the pocket of space created by the inner layer 18 and the upper portion 16. The pocket of space is oriented on the shirt 10 such that the support member 26 therein rests between a user's breasts when the shirt 10 is worn. The support member 26 has left and right sides 28, 30 which are sized and shaped to each receive an inner face of one of the user's breasts. In one embodiment, the left and right sides 28, 30 each have a concave shape that corresponds to the contour of the inner face of the user's breast. The support member 26 operates to provide lateral support for a user's breasts in the manner discussed below.

The shirt 10 is used to provide lateral support for a user's breasts in the following manner. A user puts on the shirt 10 and positions the upper portion 16 of the shirt 10 over the user's chest area. In so doing, the user positions the support member 26 in the shirt 10 in between the user's breasts. Once the support member 26 is in place, the user lies on her side on top of a substantially horizontal surface, such as a bed mattress, couch, or floor, as if she is preparing to go to sleep. As the user does so, gravity pulls the breast of the user that is furthest from the substantially horizontal surface (i.e., the higher breast) across the user's body, causing the higher breast to rest upon the corresponding side support member 26. The opposite side of the support member 26 then rests upon the corresponding opposite breast (i.e., the lower breast), which pushes the support member 26 upward toward the higher breast. This allows the support member 26 to lift the higher breast away from the center of the user's chest area and prevent any creases in the skin around the chest area from forming.

Multiple variations of the shirt 10 can be made without departing from the present invention. For instance, in one embodiment, the support member 26 is permanently embedded in the pocket of space created between the middle portion 24 of the inner layer 18 and the upper portion 16 of the shirt 10. This embodiment allows the support member 26 to always be in correct placement in the shirt 10 and ready to provide lateral support. In another embodiment, the inner layer 18 of the shirt 10 is removed entirely and the support member 26 is affixed to the upper portion 16 of the shirt 10 such that it would be placed between the breasts of a user when the user dons the shirt.

In another embodiment, the support member 26 is separable from the pocket of space and can be removed from the shirt 10 and reinserted via an aperture in the inner layer 18 of the shirt 10. In one embodiment, the inner layer 18 includes two flaps (left flap 32 and right flap 34) which create the aperture and allow for the support member 26 to be inserted in and removed from the pocket of space in the shirt 10. In one embodiment, the flaps 32 and 34 are secured together by a fastener 36 which prevents the support member 26 from escaping or falling out of the pocket of space created by the inner layer 18. The fastener 36 can be chosen from materials commonly known in the art, such as a hook-and-loop fastener (i.e., Velcro), a snap fastener, a zipper, or a button fastener.

In one embodiment, the inner layer 18 can be part of a shelf bra (not shown) which is incorporated in the shirt. In this embodiment, the inner layer 18 extends below the bottom end 22 and incorporates an elastic band (not shown) below and proximate to the bottom end 22, the elastic band being substantially free from the upper part 16 of the shirt and able to contract around the user's torso and underneath the user's breasts.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure.

It will be understood that the embodiments described herein are merely exemplary and that a person skilled in the art may make many variations and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. A shirt for providing lateral breast support comprising: a front end and a rear end, said front end having an upper portion and lower portion, said upper portion being oriented to cover a user's chest area when said shirt is worn by the user; an inner layer attached to said upper portion of said front end, said inner layer creating a pocket of space between said inner layer and said upper portion, said inner layer being sized and shaped to cover a breast area of the user when said shirt is worn by the user; and a support member located in between said inner layer and said upper portion, said support member having a left side and a right side, said left and right sides each being sized and shaped to receive an inner face of a user's breast.
 2. A shirt according to claim 1, wherein said inner layer includes a top end, a bottom end, and a middle area extending from said top end and said bottom end, said top end being attached to an upper part of said upper portion, said bottom end being attached to a lower part of said upper portion, and said middle area is detached from said upper portion.
 3. A shirt according to claim 2, wherein said inner layer includes a first side and an opposing second side, said first side of said inner layer being attached to a corresponding one side of said upper portion of said front end, creating a first inner layer side boundary, and said second side of said inner layer being attached to a corresponding opposing side of said upper portion of said front end, creating a second inner layer side boundary.
 4. A shirt according to claim 3, wherein said first inner layer side boundary is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of said left side of said support member, and said second inner layer side boundary is sized and shaped to correspond to the size and shape of said right side of said support member.
 5. A shirt according to claim 1, wherein said support member is affixed to said upper portion adjacent to said inner layer.
 6. A shirt according to claim 1, wherein the inner layer comprises a first flap and a second flap, the first and second flaps creating an aperture in said inner layer, said support member being insertable in and removable from said inner layer and said pocket of space in said shirt.
 7. A shirt according to claim 6, wherein the inner layer includes a fastener for said first flap and said second flap together, thereby preventing said support member from escaping from between said inner layer and said upper portion.
 8. A method of using a shirt for providing lateral breast support, the shirt including a front end and a rear end, the front end having an upper portion and lower portion, the shirt further including an inner layer attached to said upper portion of said front end, said inner layer creating a pocket of space between said inner layer and said upper portion, the shirt further including a support member located in between the inner layer and the upper portion, said support member having a left side and a right side, said left and right sides each being sized and shaped to receive an inner face of a user's breast, the method comprising: donning the shirt by a user, the user having a pair of breasts; orienting the upper portion and inside layer of the shirt to cover the user's breasts and chest area; locating the support member between the user's breasts such that the left side of the support member interfaces with the user's left breast and the right side of the support member interfaces with the user's right breast; placing the user's body in a lateral orientation such that one of the left breast and the right breast rests upon a corresponding one of the left side and the right side of the support member. 